


We Can Play Pretend

by grangered



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Panic Attacks, also i've made up some characters, basically it's a fake dating au that was never supposed to happen but somehow did, i am always terrified of writing in katniss' pov since she is so difficult to write, i'll add tags as the story progresses (if i remember to), it's a fake dating spy au actually, it's also a spy au, mentions of abuse, there are so many more characters that i've mentioned but haven't made an appearance, they may make appearances but i'm still not too sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-05-26 03:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6221671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grangered/pseuds/grangered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I really hate putting either of you on the spot, you know that. But this is the only option we have,” Haymitch says, after swallowing a mouthful of cheap beer and shooting them the brightest smile he can muster.  </p><p>Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have to pretend to be engaged to save the world. Maybe not the world, but thirteen districts and the Capitol seem close enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, it's me. I started this during summer break (which is in December for me) and forgot about it until earlier this week when I remembered how much I love fake dating au's. I have no idea what I'm doing with this story, meaning I literally have no plans for the upcoming chapters. I have a vague plot line and a lot of love for The Hunger Games so hopefully that keeps me fuelled. I really hope this is okay. Also, I think my paragraph spacing may be a bit wonky.

“I really hate putting either of you on the spot, you _know_ that. But this is the only option we have,” Haymitch says, after swallowing a mouthful of cheap beer and shooting them the brightest smile he can muster. Katniss scoffs at that, knowing Haymitch must be truly desperate if he’s willing to play nice just to get them to take the case. She knows plenty of special agents who could’ve done what Haymitch has asked her and Peeta Mellark to do. Haymitch rolls his eyes at her, before taking another swig of his beer. His hair is greasy and hanging limp on either side of his face and his shirt has a multitude of stains on them. He’s had better days, Katniss thinks. Peeta on the other hand looks pristine. His hair is neatly combed and his shirt is crisp, as if he wore it straight from the dry cleaners (which it probably is). His face is straight, his mouth set in a line and his eyes looking straight at the blond man in front of him. Katniss can’t tell how he feels about the whole thing and that frustrates her. And if he isn’t going to protest, then she _sure as hell_ is.

“Why do you need him and I to do this? There are plenty of other agents who get along better than us, I’m sure they’d be up for it,” she says, her voice coming out loud and firm. Haymitch takes a rather large mouth of beer, his face contorting at the probably sour taste before replying.

“Listen here sweetheart; you and Mellark are the only ones who are equipped to carry out the job properly. I know you two aren’t the best of friends, but you’re our finest agents so you’re gonna have to stop acting like I asked you to jump off a bridge for me and you’re just gonna have to buckle up and do it, okay?”

Now this was the Haymitch she knows and is friends with, although neither of them ever acknowledge this friendship. They spend most of their time cursing at each other although Haymitch is probably her closest friend at work, other than Madge who is a short, blonde that works in the IT department at the firm. She had known Madge since she was twelve; they went to the same middle school and high school along with Gale, who also works for Mockingjay Corp; an undercover spy firm that parades as a computer hardware franchise all over Panem.

“You’re saying there isn’t anyone else who’d be up for the job?” Peeta asks and it’s the first words he’s spoken since they’ve been called into Haymitch’s office. His voice drips with scepticism and his left eyebrow is arched up.

“You’re not listening to me, blondie. There are _plenty_ of people who’d be up for the job. But you two are the only agents available at this time that’d be capable of it. And like I said, you guys don’t hate each other which makes it easier for all of us,” Haymitch says, looking at Peeta.

Haymitch has a point. Gale is off on a mission in district five; he has to catch a drug lord who’s been distributing some sort of deathly narcotic to teenagers in the area. Johanna Mason, Katniss’ _sort of_ friend, is in district eight along with Finnick Odair (another friend of Katniss’ who’s probably the best looking person she’s ever met and has a heart to match) on some top secret mission that they apparently _cannot_ speak about unless it’s a success. Haymitch is also right about Katniss and Peeta not hating each other. They don’t really talk to each other all that much, but they do share mutual friends and they definitely don’t dislike each other which is obviously a plus. But it’s not ideal either. Her and Peeta’s conversations have been limited to awkward hellos and uncomfortable silences. They just don’t have much in common.

“That doesn’t mean we can pull of pretending to be married,” Katniss says hotly, tugging at her braid. Haymitch lets out a gurgled chuckle.

“You’ll be pretending to be _engaged_ ,” he corrects. “And it’s not like its forever. It’ll only be for as long as the mission takes and since you two are so brilliant at what you do, it can’t be that long.”

Katniss can hear the amusement in his voice. She wants to punch that smirk off his face, but she refrains from doing so. Peeta clears his throat taking a long drink of water.

“What exactly does this mission consist of?” he asks once he’s swallowed the clear liquid. Katniss is impressed with how composed he is; she’s always envied that about him.

“You two are gonna have to agree to do it before I can tell you that. Top secret stuff,” Haymitch says, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Katniss doesn’t understand how one man can stomach this much alcohol but she’s never questioned it. She doubts she would get a straight answer out of Haymitch if she did, so she’s never tried. Peeta looks to her, raising an eyebrow as if asking ‘so are you okay with pretending to be my fiancée for however long necessary?’

Katniss resists the urge to groan and simply nods. Peeta repeats the action and Haymitch grins like a Cheshire cat, finishing up his scotch.

“Brilliant. I knew I could trust you two to not let me down.”

“Just get on with it, Haymitch,” Katniss grumbles.

“If you insist, sweetheart. I’m sure you two have heard about the two officials who died at the Capitol in the last two months.” He pauses here and the two of them nod in confirmation. The first official, Seneca Crane, a thirty something year old government official who the country _adored_ mysteriously died after visiting President Coriolanus Snow. The second had been a woman Katniss had met only once at a boring gala she was forced to attend. Her name was Alma Coin and if Crane was adored by the Capitol, she was _worshipped_. There were talks about how she was a shoe in to be the next president but during her visit to Snow three weeks ago, she _mysteriously_ died.

“Well we think that there’s something fishy about the entire thing. Two people mysteriously dying within the span of two months at the same place? There’s gotta be something up. And so we want you two, our _best_ available agents to investigate,” Haymitch says. His eyes are glinting and he’s got a smirk on his face. Katniss rolls her eyes.

“Flattery’s gonna get you nowhere,” Katniss says sharply. Haymitch snorts.

“It’s gotten me this far, sweetheart. Back to the plan. You two,” he says gesturing to Katniss and Peeta before continuing, “will pretend to be an engaged couple, in love and all that jazz. You’ll be staying at the president’s house, pretending to be journalists who are there to survey the Capitol and how the president works to write a piece on our _great_ President Coriolanus Snow.”

His words drip with sarcasm and his face is pinched. It’s no secret that Snow is a vile man; mostly corrupt from all the money and power he has. Katniss has only ever seen him once, that too from a distance at a Capitol dinner she once attended with Finnick during a drug bust.

“Why do we have to pretend to be engaged though?” Peeta asks.

“The President is a smart man, but power has gotten to him. If you two pretend to be so in love that you’re _blinded_ by it, we’re hoping he’ll slip up and you’ll catch him in the act.”

“He’s not going to try kill us though. According to him we’re just journalists,” Katniss adds in.

“We’ve timed your visit so that you’ll arrive there a day before Plutarch Heavensbee arrives. He’s mayor of district four and he’s wanted to move onto bigger things. Perhaps he wants to be president. And I doubt Snow would like that. So you keep an eye on everything, and try catch him in the act. Then we can arrest him.”

“You make it sound easy. What happens after we arrest the President? The country can’t just run without one,” Peeta says.

“Heavensbee isn’t that bad of a candidate actually. And there’s Commander Paylor from eight. She’s brilliant too. Panem will survive without Snow, blondie. Don’t you worry,” Haymitch responds. Peeta nods, seemingly satisfied with Haymitch’s reply.

“Have I satisfied your queries?” Haymitch asks, tone as sharp as citrus. The both of them nod, Katniss a bit more reluctant than Peeta. She’s still unsure about the entire plan. Snow isn’t an idiot and Haymitch is making it sound like it’s going to be far more easy than she anticipates.

“Good. You’ll be flying out tomorrow. Pack your smiles and all your love,” Haymitch grins. Katniss snorts and Peeta looks red.

As they get up to leave Haymitch says, “There are information packets in each of your bedrooms. Information about who you guys are. You’re going by your real names to avoid complications. Don’t worry; even if they background check you they’re only gonna come across everything we’ve put into the system. Nothing about the real you. That’s all for now.”

They take that as their cue to leave and Peeta opens the door waiting for Katniss to go out first.

Katniss thanks Peeta once they're both outside Haymitch’s office. Peeta just smiles at her and they both stand there, not knowing what to say. Peeta is the first one to break their silence.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then? I think our flight is in the morning so we'll have to be at the airport pretty early," he says, shifting on his feet.

"Yeah, yeah I'll see you then."

"Y'know Katniss, we're gonna have to be less awkward if we're gonna pull off being engaged," Peeta says, grinning at her. Katniss wants to protest. She has nothing against Peeta; she just prefers working on her own. She's good at what she does, and she's sure Peeta is too, but she doesn't like having to worry about other people when she's on the job. Gale had once told her that that was both her strength _and_ her weakness.

"We'll work on it," she replies, trying to return his smile. But she's not very good at smiling, not the way Peeta and Finnick and Madge are. They're naturals; their smiles are reassuring, as if they're telling you with their gleaming teeth and crinkled eyes that everything is going to be okay. Her sister Prim is also very good at that. She on the other hand smiles like she's just found out she's being sent to spend the rest of her life in outer space, alone and away from everyone she cares for.

Peeta seems to like her answer because he smiles even brighter and nods at her enthusiastically. "We should go pack now. And read those information packets Haymitch left us."

Katniss hums in agreement, and Peeta sends her another smile. She's tired of smiling, her cheeks hurt and it feels unnatural, but she reciprocates hoping that she seems as enthused as he looks. He lifts his hand in a short wave before turning away, walking towards the elevators. Katniss waits for him to leave before following suit. She breathes out a sigh of relief as she waits for the elevator to come back up, happy that she's finally alone. She likes Peeta, sure, but she needs time to think about the mission on her own. Snow is a smart man, cruel in many ways but as sharp as the sting of a wasp. The two of them have to be _very_ careful if they want to attempt this plan, let alone get away with it.

Her thoughts are cut short when the elevator dings, the metal doors sliding open to reveal a bright haired lady. Her hair is green this time, but not the type of green Katniss likes. This green is loud, cheery in a fake kind of way, and it matches the lady's eyeshadow. The lady itself however, Effie Trinket, is anything but fake. Upon first glance Katniss had thought she was _terrible_ , loud and shallow, only caring about whether her hair colour matched her custom made outfits. But she had worked with Effie on multiple cases, and had realised she was the kindest person Katniss had ever come across in all her twenty-two years of existence (the only exceptions being her sister and Finnick).

Effie was at first a Capitol designer, working directly for President Snow himself. But upon realisation of how truly vile he was, she had jumped ship and joined Mockingjay Corp, and currently works as a mole. Whatever comes out of Snow's mouth is directly sent to the firm. She's probably got the most dangerous job out of everyone at the firm. Snow isn't known to take betrayal lightly. But Effie is also brave and stubborn, making her a force to be reckoned.

"Katniss, _darling_! How have you been?" Effie exclaims, her orange lips stretching into a large smile. Katniss grins back.

"I've been good, Effie. How are you?" Katniss asks.

Effie's smile falters and her nose crinkles. "I've been _awfully_ busy. I'm here for your and Peeta's mission actually. I'm going to be the one showing you around the President's house tomorrow. Although you'll have to act like you don't know me then."

Katniss is relieved that she'll at least have one more familiar face at the house. She's not scared, no. But Capitol people are so incredibly fake, Katniss always finds them tedious to deal with. She even felt that way about Effie when she first met her.

"I didn't know you'd be there," Katniss says because she's not too sure how to respond to a disgruntled Effie. Effie lets out a huff of air, clicking her bright blue heels against the linoleum floor.

"As if Haymitch has any other Capitol confidants that he can count on," she replies. Katniss nods. Effie has a point. There are only a handful of people who work undercover in the Capitol and none of them have Haymitch’s trust the way Effie does. They're interrupted by someone clearing their throat and Katniss turns around to find Haymitch standing at his office door, a smirk on his face and a dark flask in his left hand.

Effie wrinkles her nose at the strong smell of alcohol wafting through the hallway but nonetheless moves towards the man, swooping him into a hug which Haymitch surprisingly returns. Katniss clears her throat, saying a quick goodbye before entering the elevator. Upon reaching her room she finds a dark green folder at the end of her bed, the words 'For Katniss Everdeen; Confidential' on the front of the file in a big, blocky font.

The file has everything she needs to about her persona. As Haymitch had said, her name is the same. She apparently met Peeta at a journalist convention in district three and they've been together since. He proposed just a week prior to their visit to the Capitol; the details of their engagement make Katniss crinkle her nose in distaste. Everything about the _other_ Katniss and Peeta is cheesy and romantic, two things Katniss isn't incredibly fond of. After going over the file a few more times, memorising every detail until she can recite it off the top of her head, she begrudgingly makes her way towards the large, wooden closet to pack. To say she is dreading tomorrow is an understatement.

The next day, Katniss is awoken by the obnoxiously loud sound of her alarm. She rolls out of bed, quite literally, trudging to the bathroom and standing under the shower for a few minutes to wake herself up. The water is cool against her skin, a pleasant change then her too warm bed. She turns off the steady stream of water, before grabbing a bar of soap and scrubbing it all over her body. Her skin becomes red. Whenever she visits home Prim always tells her off for scrubbing at her skin too hard, leaving it raw and rouge. She rinses the soap off, watching it swirl near the drain before grabbing a towel and drying herself. Looking in the mirror she finds a gaunt version of herself, tired from endless nights spent working. Her skin is pale making the dark circles under her eyes even more prominent. If Effie saw her like this she would have a fit.

She combs through her tangled hair, pulling it into a neat braid. Changing into the clothes Flavius had set on an armchair the night before; she grabs her bags and makes her way towards Haymitch’s office. Peeta is already there, dressed in dark jeans and a plaid shirt although it's unbuttoned, revealing a white undershirt. His hair isn't combed like it usually is; it's messy but in a purposeful way. It suits him, Katniss thinks. He greets her with a smile and a quiet 'hello' before Haymitch bounds into the room. He's better groomed this time, his hair is no longer greasy and he smells like fresh pine trees. He's wearing a clean shirt too; Effie probably made him do this.

"How are the two lovebirds this fine morning?" he asks.

"When's our flight?" Katniss asks. Peeta looks at Haymitch expectantly.

"Noon. You should be at the airport soon, actually. A cab is waiting for you downstairs."

"What happens when we get there?" Peeta questions.

"Effie will be there to pick you up and give you a tour of the mansion. Remember you _don’t_ know her. So act like it. Once you're at the mansion you'll probably have time to settle in and then there's a dinner tonight, where you'll be formally introduced to Snow. Be cordial and friendly, he already knows about the article you're writing so ask him a few questions. Not too many though. And remember, you're _engaged_ so at least try act like it, alright?"

Katniss nods. She does that a lot, she thinks. Peeta nods too, mouth set in a straight line. He looks serious, like there are a thousand and one things running through his mind.

"You two should leave now. Your flight is in an hour," Haymitch reminds them.

Grabbing his bags, Peeta leaves the room. Katniss turns to take her bags when she realises she's left them outside. Haymitch gives her a wave as she moves out of the room and Peeta is waiting for her outside. He's carrying her bags too and she has no idea how he does it. She's about to offer to carry her own but he shakes his head, smiling slightly and gestures to the elevator. She quickly walks towards it and presses the red button watching it illuminate. The elevator doors slide open soundlessly and Katniss gestures for the blonde boy to enter first since he is the one carrying all the luggage. She follows him into the metal box, watching her reflection appear as the metal doors slide closed almost soundlessly. The silence isn't awkward or uncomfortable but she feels like she should make an effort to end it.

"Did you go over those information packets they left us?" Katniss asks and he turns to her. It's difficult to tell that his eyes are blue; in the dim light of the elevator they look dark.

"I did. We're a very cheesy couple," he jokes and she nods in agreement. Peeta smiles _again_ and Katniss wants to ask him how he smiles so much.

"Katniss, I don't want to offend you but," and he pauses here looking at her carefully. She raises an eyebrow at him although her mind is working at a mile minute.

What could he possibly say that could offend her? Peeta Mellark is one of the most well-mannered people she has ever met, with his polite smiles and friendly greetings.

"Haymitch thinks I should do most of the talking. He didn't want to tell you back there because he didn't want to upset you. It's not that he thinks your bad at it or anything, he just thinks I'm easier to talk to?" The end of his sentence sounds like a question, as if he doesn't know how charming he can be. Or maybe he doesn't. Peeta doesn't seem like a pretentious person.

"That's fine, Peeta. Haymitch has a point," she says and she's not offended. She knows she's not very good at talking to people, charming them with nice words and warm grins. Peeta is though, and she's grateful that he's with her on this case. If it were Gale in his place instead, or _god forbid_ , Johanna, then this would probably be the grimmest mission she would ever be on. She likes the both of them, but they're far too similar to her; similar in different ways but similar nonetheless. She wonders whether Haymitch had considered this when he had assigned them to the mission. He probably did, she concludes knowing that Haymitch is a _very_ intelligent man.

Peeta lets out a relieved sigh, his shoulders relaxing. The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Peeta exits the elevator first, Katniss following him and the two of them quickly walk towards the entrance of the building. The cold air slaps her in the face and she feels like she's drowning in ice for a millisecond. Then, she takes a deep breath and spots the dark green cab waiting for them at the end of the road. Peeta seems to spot it too and they both move towards the van, Peeta still lugging all their bags. Once they're in the car, Peeta turns to her and gives her a small red box. When Katniss opens it she's greeted to a large shiny ring, a shimmering stone sitting on the silver band.

"That's the engagement ring," Peeta says a bit awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. Katniss slips it onto her ring finger. She can't help but think it looks a bit odd sitting there, an extraordinary ring on an extra ordinary hand.

"This is weird," she says before she can stop herself. She doesn't know what she's referring to if she's being frank. Pretending to be engaged to Peeta is weird and so is trying to take down the President for murder and so is wearing an engagement ring the size of district four. Everything is weird. Peeta hums in agreement and Katniss is relieved that she doesn't need to elaborate what she means.

"Everything is kinda weird," he replies and Katniss doesn't know how to respond to that so she changes the topic.

"We need to work on how we're going to carry this out," she says in a whisper to make sure their driver doesn't hear them. Peeta nods in agreement.

"We're meeting him today. We'll be cordial, nice even, get him to like us. I doubt he'll trust us but if he thinks we're two foolish reporters who are too in love to pay attention to what he's actually doing, then I doubt he'll pay that much attention to us," Peeta says, voice low.

"Right, that's good. We have to be careful around his people too. They're always on the lookout."

Peeta nods in agreement. They arrive at the airport a few minutes later, boarding their plane and taking their seats within the hour. The flight attendant, a brunette with bright pink eyeshadow comments on how lovely Katniss' engagement ring is. Katniss is momentarily confused but Peeta swoops in, thanking her with a small smile and bright eyes.

"I need to remember that we're engaged," Katniss says but really she means _I’m sorry I’m terrible at this, I’m just better at working alone_.

Peeta, as if he understands this says, "That’s okay Katniss. You'll be fine by the time we get to the Capitol." And he smiles at her, a genuine smile with crinkled eyes and Katniss is grateful that he's not pretentious or egoistical like some agents at the firm. She returns the smile.

They both quickly realise that Peeta is _wrong_. When they land at the Capitol, a lady at one of the counters comments on how cute a couple the two of them are. Katniss is about to correct her but Peeta quickly cuts in, smiling at her and pushing the trolley that has their luggage. The cab driver compliments Katniss' ring and she forgets, _again_ , and Peeta is there, _again_ , to make up for it.

"Katniss, you can't keep _forgetting_ ," Peeta says but he sounds more nervous than he does annoyed. They're sitting in the cab and the driver is playing an upbeat song, humming along rather loudly.

"I know," Katniss snaps. And she does. She's just not used to working with someone let alone pretending to be engaged to them and she doesn't even _know_ how long they'll have to do this. Peeta's about to say something but once he hears the tone of her voice, he closes his mouth and clenches his jaw, looking away. She feels bad for snapping at him, if anything he's been the one saving them from awkward situations but the flight was long and she's tired so she decides to not apologise and they both stay deadly quiet throughout the ride to the mansion.

Katniss pays the cab driver, Peeta still not talking to her. She figures she should apologise since he wasn't wrong but before she can, she hears a familiar high pitched voice with a strong Capital accent.

"Hello you two! You must be Katniss and Peeta," Effie says as she walks towards them. She's grinning and she winks at the two of them before sticking her hand out. Katniss shakes her hand and Peeta follows, both of them smiling at her. Before either of them can reply, Effie is grabbing their arms and leading them up through the large, black gates and into the mansion. It's beautiful, Katniss must admit. But there's something eerie about the place, with its large stone statues and pale walls. Peeta looks around too, rubbing his hands on his jeans. He seems slightly nervous.

"You two must be the reporters," a voice says and Katniss turns around and suddenly, she's face to face with the President of Panem. He reminds her of a snake, his eyes are a dull grey and his skin is pale. His hair is white and he wears a crisp suit. He smiles at the two of them and Katniss does her best to return it. She assumes Peeta is doing the same.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she says and Peeta looks startled before he rearranges his face into a more amicable expression.

"I'm very flattered that you two want to do a piece about me," Snow replies but he doesn't sound it. He sounds like a rehearsed robot. "And congratulations on your engagement." He looks at the ring that still sits uncomfortably on Katniss' finger.

"Thank you," Katniss says, smiling as brightly as she can. "We're very happy."

Peeta's eyes widen and it looks comical but almost immediately, he schools his expression into a cheerful face. His lips pull into a grin and he adds, "it happened really recently. I was so nervous."

Snow nods and smiles but again, Katniss thinks he looks more like a snake; like he's hissing at them. "You two should make yourselves at home. Effie will show you to your room and you'll have dinner with me and a few other people tonight," he says. His voice makes Katniss uneasy, but she nods again. She doesn't know how Haymitch managed to get them into the mansion, even if their story is convincing. She asks Peeta this after Snow excuses himself, leaving behind the strong scent of flowers.

"I suppose it's because we're reputed journalists. He seems like the type to _love_ positive press and he probably thinks we're going to give him that. Haymitch is good at what he does," Peeta whispers. Katniss agrees; Haymitch is almost always drunk and smells like a brewery but he's brilliant at getting the job done, which is why he's head of the firm.

Effie comes sweeping in a few minutes later and she's grinning at them and grabbing their arms, leading them through a brilliant corridor and to large, oak doors. When they enter the room, Katniss is greeted with the smell of flowers, the same scent that was on Snow.

She wonders if he has an obsession with white roses. Their bedroom is big and expensive looking. All the furniture looks like it would cost more than her apartment AND her car combined and that's saying something since the firm pays all their agents fairly well, especially the high ranking ones. Light falls through a stained glass window, and creates a hue of colours on the bed. It's only then that she realises that there's only one bed. She'll have to share with Peeta. Obviously, she thinks. Everyone here thinks they're engaged.

"Isn't it lovely?" Effie wonders although she sounds slightly sarcastic. Katniss snorts and Peeta grins at the both of them, rubbing his jaw.

"You two will be staying here. Dinner's at seven but I'll send someone to escort the both of you," she says and winks before she gets a call from a secretary downstairs telling her that Heavensbee has arrived. Before she leaves she hands them a bright pink folder- very Effie like- and says, "This is everything you need to know about Heavensbee. I've added some notes about the mansion too, and some of the staff. If you need me just call the number I've written down on the back of the folder."

And with that she scurries out of the room, her pink skirt swishing behind her. Katniss clears her throat and Peeta looks a bit uncomfortable too.

"I think I'll shower," he says after a pregnant pause. He reaches into his bag and grabs what Katniss presumes is clean clothes before he goes into the bathroom. A few seconds later she hears the shower turning on and Katniss lets out a sigh of relief. She needs a break from Peeta and Effie and everyone that keeps ogling her engagement ring and congratulating her.

She begins unpacking, taking two shelves for herself and leaving two for Peeta. She wonders how they're going to pull off this mission. To outsmart someone like Snow is a difficult feat, and not one anyone has managed to do yet and even though Peeta and her are probably two of the most seasoned agents available for the task at hand, something heavy settles in her stomach, like a weight pulling her down. She folds a pair of pants and places it on a shelf before giving up entirely and reaching for the case file hidden at the bottom of her bag. It's crinkled at the corners and there's a brown stain on the front from when Haymitch dropped his coffee on his desk but other than that, it's undamaged.

The case file is pretty basic; it lists various information about Snow and the case. He was born in the Capitol, raised by a wealthy family and ran for president when he was twenty eight. He got married a year later, had two kids, five grandkids but that's as far as his family goes. He's got cameras _everywhere_ , in every single room in the entire building except for bathrooms and bedrooms although those are checked on a daily _and_ nightly basis whenever the cleaners come in. The weight in Katniss' stomach feels heavier, suddenly.

The causes of death of Alma Coin and Seneca Crane are _both_ listed as heart failure. The catch is that neither of them were known to have any sort of heart related illness although that was kept private from the media as well as the friends and family of the diseased. Katniss snorts; the least Snow could've done was come up with reasonable causes of death. She continues flipping through the pages of the file, reading over things she had already looked at, at least three times. Peeta comes out a few minutes later, his hair is wet and curls at the ends, sticking to his forehead and he's wearing a suit and Katniss is terribly confused until she remembers that they have dinner with the President and a bunch of government people. She groans out loud and Peeta looks at her oddly.

"The bathroom's all yours," he says as he picks out a tie. It's dark blue and Katniss thinks it matches his eyes but she can't be sure.

"Right. Thanks," Katniss replies and moves towards the closet. She grabs a dress, it's dark blue and it's glossy and she can't stand how it feels against her skin because it itches and it sticks to her in places she'd much rather it _not_. It matches Peeta's tie though, and they are meant to be engaged so she supposes it's all very fitting.

When she enters the bathroom she heads straight for the shower after stripping off her clothes. The water is warm and it's so refreshing that Katniss doesn't want to leave but Peeta knocks on the door a few minutes later, telling her that they've only got a half hour until they're expected for dinner. Katniss grunts in response and reluctantly turns off the shower, grabbing a towel and moving towards the mirror. Her hair sticks to her skin and her eyes have dark circles around them. She grabs a comb, running it through her hair until it's no longer knotted. She towels off and slips into the dress, before she reluctantly puts on some make up. She's always disliked the feeling of it; it sticks to her face uncomfortably and she feels like she looks ten years older with it on. She pulls her hair into a braid before exiting the bathroom.

Peeta is sitting at the desk; glasses perched on his nose as he busily scribbles something on a piece of paper. She clears her throat and he turns around, almost dropping his pen in the process. He looks like a child that's been caught stealing chocolate. When he sees that it's Katniss, the guilty look on his face disappears almost instantly and he grips his pen tighter.

"I thought it was a Capitol person," he says sounding relieved. Katniss snorts.

"Don't be so scared. They're supposed to knock, it's _proper manners_ ," she says imitating Effie's accent. Peeta laughs. There's a knock on the door before he can reply and Katniss moves towards it. When she opens it, she's greeted to a man in a dark blue suit with his dark hair gelled up looking at her expectantly.

"Ms. Everdeen, I'm here to escort you and Mr. Mellark to dinner," he says and his voice is deep and slightly intimidating and he's got a smirk on his face that leaves Katniss feeling bothered.

"Who's that at the door, Katniss?" Peeta questions and then he's standing there right next to her, peering outside. He's still wearing his glasses.

"I'm Caesar, I'm here to escort you two to dinner. I'm one of the managers at the Mansion," the dark haired man says and he smiles at them although it looks more like he's baring his teeth at them.

"It's nice to meet you," Peeta says, sticking out his hand and Caesar grabs it and shakes it. Katniss figures she should do the same thing but instead of shaking it, Caesar lifts her hand to his mouth, kissing the space just below her knuckles before letting it go. He's smirking again. Katniss wants to punch him in the face. Peeta looks uncomfortable, like he's not sure how exactly to respond to a man possibly flirting with his fake fiancée.

"We should leave," Caesar says after an awkward pause and Katniss clears her throat and nods, Peeta nodding with her. The walk to wherever it is they're having dinner is long and quiet but it gives Katniss enough time to survey the mansion. The case file wasn't wrong, there are cameras _everywhere_. But they're hidden intelligently; behind potted plants whose creepers go all the way up to the ceiling and in bookshelves that are lined up along the wide corridor. Peeta seems observant too although he maintains a steady conversation with Caesar. When they reach what Katniss assumes is the dining hall, Caesar excuses himself (‘I have to bring in a few other guests but please do enjoy yourselves,') and leaves Peeta and Katniss to enter the room on their own.

The dining room is unsurprisingly just as grand as the rest of the mansion. There's a large round table, and on it is the most food Katniss has ever seen. There are plates upon plates of dishes that look like they're straight out of those fancy cook books Prim reads when she has the time. Snow isn't there yet, but a woman with bright green hair and orange lipstick and a man with tattoos all over his arms are, although they seem to be trying to figure out how far they can stick their tongues down each other’s' throats. Peeta clears his throat and Katniss can feel her face going red. The man and woman quickly move apart, their faces becoming bright red. The woman adjusts her blouse and the man attempts to be discreet about adjusting his pants and Katniss feels so awkward at this point that she decides to turn to Peeta. He’s looking right back at her, although there’s a tiny smirk on his face and he seems far more comfortable.

“I am _so sorry_ you had to see that!” the woman exclaims and Katniss feels sorry for herself too. The woman however, does seem genuinely apologetic as she runs a nervous hand through her neon hair. The man besides her seems sheepish too, and he sticks out his hand.

“I’m Everan, and this is Rexa,” he says as he grips Peeta’s hand. He looks a lot like someone from the Seam, Katniss notes. He’s got the olive skin and grey eyes, just like Katniss except his skin is marked in intricate tattoos that twist over his arms and shoulders like creepers hanging to a wall and his beard is dyed a dark maroon, so Katniss really can’t be sure that he’s from District Twelve.

"I'm Peeta. And this is my fiancée, Katniss," Peeta replies. Rexa perks up immediately, her eyes widening and her smile stretching even further.

"You two!" she exclaims. "You're the journalists, the one's writing a piece on Snow, right? _Oh_ , congratulations on your engagement!"

She's almost as enthusiastic as Effie. _Almost_.

"That's us," Katniss says in a voice that sounds so cheery that she has to try not to cringe. But she can't keep getting Peeta to do all the work and they do have to come off as _madly in love_ so she also grins and grabs Peeta's arm, tangling their fingers together. Peeta squeezes her hand. Before anyone can respond to her, the door opens again and more people come piling in. They all look like something straight out of a circus, with their multi colored hair and their bizarre outfits. Amongst them is Plutarch Heavensbee; Katniss recognizes him from the posters that are plastered all over the districts. She hasn't seen any in the Capitol though. He's got white hair and a broad face and he's smiling, and he reminds Katniss of a walrus. Snow comes in right behind him, his lips stretched in a smile too and he's wearing a powder blue suit and a dark blue tie and Katniss thinks that whoever dresses him up is probably a huge fan of the Caesar Flickerman show since Snow's outfit looks like an expensive version of something Flickerman would wear.

Suddenly everyone in the room is shuffling around, looking for their seats and she forgets that she's still holding Peeta's hand until he starts moving towards the left side of the table. She follows him and they happen to be sitting next to Rexa and her boyfriend and the green haired woman looks ecstatic when she spots the two of them sitting down next to her. She's reapplied the orange lipstick, it's shiny on her lips and sticks to them like a second skin and Katniss wonders if it feels as uncomfortable as it looks but she returns the smile and nods at Everan.

"You never told us the story of how you got engaged," Everan says after sipping a pink drink embellished with a frilly, small umbrella. He's tapping a finger against the table, watching the two of them. Katniss clears her throat.

"He actually just proposed last week," Katniss says and she tries making her voice sound warm. "It was during dinner actually, at my favourite restaurant. Mid way through dessert, he just drops on one knee and pops out the ring. There was a speech too but I won't bore you."

Rexa literally coos. Katniss has never been this uncomfortable before. She doesn't sound like herself, nor does she look like herself with the layer of makeup sticking to her face and the uncomfortable dress she's wearing and she's saying things that would _never_ come out of her mouth. As if Peeta can sense her discomfort, he begins talking so that all eyes are suddenly on him.

"I was so nervous," he says. "I didn't know if she'd say yes and when she did, I was the happiest man in the world."

Katniss resists the urge to snort when Rexa coos even louder than before, grabbing Everan's arm. "Isn't that just adorable, honey?" she asks and Everan smiles although it seems a little strained, his jaw tensing.

"It's lovely," is his short reply and Peeta shifts in his seat, his fingers twitching slightly. His jaw locks too, and he's curled his right hand around a glass of water and Katniss nudges his foot with hers’ hoping that it conveys what she's trying to say. _Relax_. The message seems to get across because he slumps against his chair and readjusts his glasses. Rexa continues babbling for the rest of the night, although she stops talking when Snow makes a toast to ‘ _everyone in the room, especially the brilliant Mr. Heavensbee’_ and Plutarch Heavensbee smiles at that, eyes crinkling up. Snow keeps quiet for the rest of the dinner but he bids each and every person present goodbye and he tells Katniss and Peeta again, ‘ _how lovely it is that you are writing this piece about me’_ and Katniss just smiles and Peeta responds with something brilliantly charming. Everan stays quiet for the rest of the dinner although he smiles throughout most of it. His jaw is still tense.

Peeta sighs when Katniss and him return back to their room. He loosens his tie and turns around, facing the window.

"I think there's something wrong with Everan," he says and his voice sounds tired. Dull, even. "He's onto us."

"You don't know that for sure," Katniss responds as she walks to the four poster bed. She sits on the soft mattress and stretches out her legs. The shoes she wore pinched her toes, almost stopping the blood from flowing from her feet to her legs. 

"He seems suspicious," Peeta counters as he removes his cuff links. His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks irritated. Katniss isn't sure if his annoyance is directed at her.

"I know," she replies. Then adds, "I'm not blind."

"Well you don't seem concerned either." His tone is short and he removes his glasses, leaving them on a table near a stained glass window.

"We'll just play up the romance thing some more."

"We're not very good at that either."

"You are," Katniss says because Peeta seems nervous so she hopes that attempting to reassure him will help brighten his mood. "I'll work on it."

Peeta cracks a grin at that. Katniss smiles back. "You're not bad at all," he reassures.

"I've forgotten that we're supposed to be engaged over _three_ times today, Peeta."

"Fair point. But you're still not as terrible as you think you are," says Peeta. Then, "do you think Snow is onto us?"

Katniss shrugs. "We barely spoke to him today. I can't tell. But he's a smart man."

Peeta nods and then sighs, slumping into a chair. "We should sleep. I'll take the floor."

Katniss stiffens because she's not too keen on sharing a bed with him but she doesn't want to have him sleep on the floor either. "It's fine, I'll take the floor." 

“I’m not letting you take the floor, Katniss,” Peeta argues as he unties his shoe laces.

“I wasn’t asking for your permission,” she says and he looks up at her and sighs, before going back to tying his shoelaces. They both are visibly irritated and Peeta’s ears have gone red. Katniss deflates, not feeling up to arguing with him. “We could share the bed.”

Peeta looks at her sharply, and his mouth hangs slightly open. Katniss feels a bit idiotic then.

“Or not. I’m just saying it’s better than either of us sleeping on a wooden floor,” she defends, and she feels a flush crawling up her neck.

“Yeah, uh, yeah. That’s fine. We can do that,” Peeta replies and he sounds like he’s trying to convince himself. Katniss regrets suggesting the idea.

“I’m going to change,” she says abruptly before gathering her nightwear and heading to the bathroom.

*****

When Katniss comes back from the washroom, having had her third shower in the last twelve hours which isn’t a rare occurrence for her since she feels most relaxed with the water falling on her, Peeta is already in bed. There’s a dim lamp that lights up the room, giving it a dull yellow glow. She maneuvers her way to the empty side of the bed, before quickly turning off the lamp and slipping in. Peeta’s back faces her and it’s not entirely awkward but there is a palpable tension that makes her skin feel itchy. Suddenly he moves, lying on his back, almost mirroring Katniss’ position. He looks tired, although she can’t see much of his face. His hair sticks up wildly, and he lies stiffly, as if he’s afraid to move. Katniss feels similarly.

“Do you think we can do this?” he asks and she’s glad he doesn’t say something like _‘I’m sorry this is weird’_ or _‘is this awkward?’_ because she wouldn’t be able to respond to that without making it fairly uncomfortable.

“I don’t know, actually,” she replies because she suddenly has the overwhelming urge to be honest. She’s spent the whole day trying to reassure herself and Peeta that they’ll be okay and she’s so _tired_ of pretending that she’s not frightened to death.

“If we mess up, it’s going to be awful,” he says and there’s a slight shake to his voice. “Snow, he’s ruthless. He’ll probably have us hanged for treason if he finds out.”

“Probably,” Katniss agrees and she can feel a knot in her stomach. Her palms feel sweaty and she feels odd since she’s never felt this intimidated by a mission before. _You’re good at what you do_ , she reminds herself.

Peeta, as if he can read her mind says the same thing. “We’re good at what we do though. We’ll be fine.” He still sounds a bit unsure but his shoulders are relaxed and his voice is calmer. They stay silent for a few minutes, both staring at the ceiling and not saying a word. Katniss feels her eyes getting heavier, and she shifts slightly, making herself more comfortable. Peeta doesn’t jostle at her movement.

“We should sleep,” she murmurs. “We have a lot to figure out tomorrow.”

Peeta hums in agreement and that’s the last thing she remembers before she feels herself drifting into slumber.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up the next morning is a lot easier than Katniss expected. She’s up before Peeta is, he’s lying on the other side of the bed and there’s a good two feet between them. She tiptoes towards the closet, quietly opening the drawer on the left and digging for the case files. She figures she has enough time before they’re expected for breakfast to go over some of the details again. She’s three pages into the ‘official’ story about Crane’s death when she hears shuffling from the other side of the room. When she turns around, Peeta’s getting out of bed, his shirt crinkled and his hair a mess. He slips on his glasses before making is way towards her.

“Going over the files again?” he asks and she nods in response. She’s not much of a talker this early in the morning. She’s not much of a talker at all, actually.

“We have a meeting with Snow at eleven today,” he says and she already knows this but she doesn’t say that. “I’m hoping we’ll get something out of him.”

“I doubt Snow would be foolish enough to tell two journalists such things,” Katniss says although she hopes he is.

“Probably, but we’ll have to try. Optimism is key.”

Katniss almost snorts but she refrains from doing. Their conversation dies down after that and Peeta excuses himself to go and shower. When he comes out, Katniss goes into the bathroom and stays there for as long as possible, until Peeta knocks on the door and tells her they’ve only got a couple of minutes until they’ve got to get to breakfast.

*****

Breakfast is an ordeal on its own. They sit with Everan and Rexa, whose hair is now lilac with nails to match and she enthusiastically tells them the story about how when she first bumped into Everan, she spilt _all_ of her cherry pink hair dye on him and that’s how they fell in love. Everan still seems jerky around them, all his movements seem calculated and he’s _always_ watching them. It makes Katniss shift in her seat. Peeta places an arm around her shoulder and she lets herself sag into the touch. Once Rexa finishes telling them about her aspirations to become a makeup artist for Caesar Flickerman’s television show, Peeta abruptly stands up.

“I hate to cut this short, but Katniss and I have to get to a meeting for the article,” he says apologetically and Katniss stands up as well. She promises Rexa that she’ll go to the city centre with her so that they can get some shopping done and Rexa practically _beams_ and Katniss feels a bit guilty about how easily the lie comes out. Once they leave the dining room, Peeta is grabbing her arm and pulling her down a long corridor.

“Peeta, there are cameras here,” she reminds him as he tugs her further down the corridor. He immediately slows down, dropping her arm and instead taking her hand in his.

“We need to follow that man in the pink suit,” he says in response although he looks at her with a smile. His jaw is tense.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she says.

“Quilo Drackson. He’s a dealer from district thirteen. We need to figure how the hell he got into the Capitol let alone the President’s house,” Peeta says and he drops her hand but takes her waist instead. Katniss isn’t very keen on all the touching but she’s painfully aware of the cameras that surround them, so she lets him and even shoots him what she hopes is an affectionate smile.

“Well he’s clearly not hiding if he’s wearing a pink suit and roaming the corridors. Seems like something a guest would do,” she murmurs as they reach the end of the corridor. Just as they’re about to round the corner, Katniss sees the man in the pink suit talking to a lady with dark skin, although there are splashes of orange across her face. She grabs Peeta and pulls him back, and for second he gives her a confused look before he realises what’s happening. He shifts them slightly so that they’re more comfortable against the cold wall. They stay like that for a few minutes, pressed chest to chest and it should be awkward but Katniss is straining her ears in the hopes of catching a few words of the conversation between the woman and the dealer but all she hears are quiet whispers. She raises her eyebrow at Peeta, silently asking him if he can make out what they’re saying and he shakes his head, disappointedly.

Their silent conversation is cut short when they hear footsteps approaching them, and _of course_ , the man is probably heading back to the dining room and Katniss and Peeta are _right there_ and she’s ninety-nine percent sure they look incredibly dodgy so she does the first thing that comes to her mind and grabs Peeta’s face before yanking him down for a kiss. Surprisingly, it’s not one of the most awkward kisses she’s had but it’s still up there, and Peeta’s eyes widen comically and they’re both just _staring_ at each other before the he seems to relax slightly and pull her closer. A throat clears, and they immediately part. Peeta’s face is flushed and Katniss is fairly sure her face is the exact same shade of red as his, but he manages to wrap and arm around her shoulder, facing the other man with a sheepish grin.

“Oh, I’m so sorry you had to see that,” Peeta says apologetically, rubbing his neck with his other hand.

“There wasn’t all that much to see,” comes the other man’s reply and Katniss _shouldn’t_ be offended because god knows Peeta and her can’t put on a show like Rexa and Everan but it’s still a bit rude and she thinks it’s rich coming from a man with yellow hair and a neon pink suit. Peeta chuckles awkwardly and the man gives them a sharp grin.

“I love your suit!” Katniss responds, smiling as brightly as she can. “Where did you get it from?”

Quilo Drackson gives her a once-over, crinkling his nose slightly at her attire. “A boutique in the city centre.”

Peeta squeezes her shoulder, as if saying _don’t yell at him, we need to get information out of him,_ and so Katniss merely smiles in return although her hands are clenched. “Well, it’s lovely.”

“I’m Peeta Mellark, and this is my fiancée Katniss,” Peeta says brightly as he sticks out his hand. It’s incredibly odd watching the man’s facial expression go from _completely_ unamused to absolutely cheery in the span of a millisecond. He grabs Peeta’s arm and gives it a firm shake before taking Katniss hand and kissing her knuckles. She resists the urge to pull her hand away and attempts to return the bright grin the man gives the two of them.

“ _Oh!_ You two are the journalists!” he says. It’s like a bell goes off in Katniss’ head and she glances at Peeta to see a slight smirk on his face. “It’s so exciting that you’re writing this piece on dear Coriolanus. He’s a brilliant friend of mine, Y’know? I’m Quilo Drackson; I trade gold and silk to the Capitol.”

 _And toxic drugs,_ Katniss thinks grimly but she nods in response. “Are you visiting the Capitol on vacation?” she asks him as friendly as possible.

He shakes his head. “I’m here on business. I have some deals to finalise with our President.”

“Oh, you deal with him directly then?” Peeta asks and Katniss wonders how he comes off as genuinely curious and not absolutely sceptical.

“Ah yes, Mr. Snow has very specific taste,” Drackson says and he sounds proud and Katniss thinks he’s an _absolute idiot_ but she keeps that to herself. Before they can continue their questioning, the other man glances at the gaudiest wrist watch Katniss has ever seen before looking at them again.

 “I’m afraid, I must get going. It was lovely to meet the two of you! Absolutely _adorable_ , the both of you are. If you ever need me for your article, just give me a shout,” he says before handing them a pastel blue business card. He waves at them before retreating down the corridor.

“Well that was fairly easy,” Peeta says after a pregnant pause. He doesn’t bring up the kiss and Katniss is relieved because it was awkward enough on its own without having to discuss it.

“You think he wasn’t leading us on?” Katniss asks because Peeta’s right. That was _way_ too easy.

“He could be, but I don’t think anyone suspects us as yet. We only _just_ got here,” Peeta replies as he runs a hand through his hair. Katniss thinks it’s a nervous habit.

“We should get to our interview now. Uh- the one with Snow’s secretary,” Katniss says because she’s not sure how to respond to that. She hates feeling constantly uneasy. Every time they aren’t in their room, she feels like Snow is going to come out and catch them. And it isn’t even an exaggeration considering there are cameras _everywhere_ and to a skilled eye, they aren’t that difficult to spot. It’s almost as if Snow is trying to taunt them.

Peeta nods at what she says and they both go back down the corridor they came through.

*****

Egeria is a tall woman, whose skin is flawless and hair almost always done in an intricate up do. She greets Katniss and Peeta at the door to Snow’s office, a tight smile on her dark lips and her shoulders stiff. She lets them sit down, offering them golden honey tea ( _‘A Capitol delicacy!’_ Katniss remembers Effie saying when she had first met her) that they politely decline. She stands at the door, watching them through the corner of her eye although she tries making it seem like she’s rearranging books on a shelf near the door. She abruptly leaves the room, her mouth set in a straight line and her eyebrows drawn together.

Katniss and Peeta sit there in silence, only glancing at each other occasionally. Peeta’s shaking his leg continuously, something Katniss wants to tell him to stop doing but she’s fairly nervous and she can practically feel the adrenaline in her bloodstream. They sit there in silence for another few minutes before Egeria comes back in, a clipboard in one hand and a fountain pen in the other. Her red dress billows behind her as she walks towards them, her mouth still in a straight line.

“President Snow will be coming in shortly,” she says curtly before scribbling down something on the clipboard. Peeta lets out a small laugh and Katniss tries to smile.

“We’re so excited!” Peeta says, enthusiasm accentuating every word. Egeria gives them a tight smile and Katniss _thinks_ she sees the woman’s eyes soften slightly but she can’t be sure.

Egeria leaves right after, saying a short goodbye and almost as soon as she’s gone, Snow walks in. He’s wearing a dark suit, almost black but with golden embroidery and it looks like it would cost the same amount as Katniss’ car. He doesn’t look at them until he sits down on the large leather chair across the desk the two of them are sat at. There’s something about his presence that makes Katniss’ skin itch uncomfortably, as if all her fear is trying to claw its way out. She wonders if Peeta feels the same way.

“So how are you two today?” he asks them, baring his teeth in what Katniss assumes is a smile.

“We’re just really happy to be here. I don’t think either of us ever imagined sitting opposite the President,” Katniss says, her voice cheery. Peeta looks pleased with her response, smiling charmingly at Snow. Snow smiles a bit more, but his eyes keep flicking between Peeta and Katniss and Katniss’ palms are getting sweaty.

“I’m quite honoured that you want to do a piece about me,” Snow says and he _should_ sound genuine, but instead he sounds just as robotic as he did when they first saw him yesterday.

“Can we get right to it, then?” Peeta asks, taking out a notepad and pen. His hands shake only slightly, and it’s almost barely noticeable. Katniss takes the notepad and pen from him, giving him what she hopes is a reassuring smile before turning back to Snow. The white haired man simply nods, shifting in his seat until he’s sitting more comfortably.

“Does being President of Panem, still make you nervous at times?” Peeta asks with a smile. Snow laughs and it sounds simultaneously genuine and forced, before answering.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, if I’m being honest. It’s a tedious task, but Panem is my home and I want it to always be in safe hands,” he says before taking a sip of water. He smells strongly of roses, the scent almost making Katniss nauseous.

“And do you plan on running again once your term finishes?” Katniss questions and it’s almost imperceptible, but she’s fairly sure Snow’s gaze sharpens and his left hand clenches but there is still a smile on his face. _Gracious as ever_ , Katniss thinks sarcastically.

“If the people want me to be here, then of course.”

 _Bullshit,_ Katniss wants to say but she nods enthusiastically before writing down what he says. Peeta asks him questions about his childhood and adolescent years, what he enjoyed doing, what music he liked, what sports he used to play, all of which Snow answers seamlessly, as if he had rehearsed a script before talking to them. Knowing how the Capitol worked, he probably did.

“Aren’t you ever worried about the risks that come with the job?” Katniss asks him after he finishes telling them a story about his rebellious college days.

“Oh, there are risks in every job Ms. Everdeen. Aren’t you scared of the ones in yours?” he says, arching a bush eyebrow. Katniss’ feels like someone dropped a stone on her chest, one that’s pressing down on her lungs and she grips the pen tighter, her smile never wavering.

“I don’t think being a journalist is _nearly_ as dangerous as being the President of Panem, President Snow,” is her response and Peeta chuckles. There’s a palpable tension in the room, winding its way around all three of them.

“Oh, I _beg to differ_ , Ms. Everdeen. I’m sure Mr. Mellark would agree with me on this,” Snow says as he turns towards Peeta.

“I’m going to have to go with the fiancée on this one, Mr. President,” Peeta says and Katniss notices that his leg is starting to shake again. She places her hand on his thigh as she laughs at what he says.

Snow chuckles and it sounds slightly sinister although that might just be Katniss’ nerves talking. “I should’ve known you would have taken her side.”

“I think that’s all for today,” Peeta says. “If we have any other questions, is it alright if we come back later?”

“Of course! You’ll just need to let Egeria know so we can schedule a suitable time,” Snow says kindly but there’s something about his tone that stings like venom.

“Thank you so much, President Snow. This really means a lot to us,” Katniss replies, sounding as sincere as possible.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Everdeen. You two are quite the duo,” he responds and Katniss doesn’t know what to make of that because all she’s thinking at this point is that _oh god he’s onto us and we’ve jeopardised the entire plan._ They shake Snow’s hand, waving goodbye to Egeria on their way out.

The walk to their room is silent, neither of them saying a thing. When they get inside, Peeta heads straight for the desk while Katniss just sort of stands in the middle of the room. Her heart is racing at a mile a minute and she can feel her blood pulsing through her ears. Her head is beginning to throb; an uncomfortable thud at the back of her skull.

“He’s onto us,” Katniss says and her voice shakes. She takes a deep breath, _in and out_ , and closes her eyes. She sees bright bursts of light and the dull ache in her head begins to steadily grow.

“Hey _._ You’re fine. _Katniss,_ _you’re fine,_ ” he encourages, and she senses his presence in front of her. She opens her eyes, the bright spots disappearing and she focusses on a pair of concerned looking eyes instead. Peeta looks worried, his forehead wrinkling and his hands falling awkwardly at his sides, as if he doesn’t know whether or not to touch her. Katniss nods at him, and his shoulders relax.

“He _is_ onto us though,” Katniss repeats but her voice is steady now. Her knees don’t feel like they might buckle under her own weight but there’s still a heaviness in her limbs, a mixture of fear and tiredness that she cannot shake off. Peeta looks anxious too, his hair an unruly mess on top of his head. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, taking in a short breath before he responds.

“We don’t know that for sure. Katniss, we can’t do anything drastic without jeopardising this mission.”

Katniss clenches her jaw and a small flame of anger burns in her chest. “We’ve already jeopardised _everything_ , Peeta! Did you not hear him? _He knows_. We need to do something. We can’t just sit here and wait for him to attack.”

“And what do you expect us to do? Leave in the middle of the night? Let him kill Heavensbee? We can’t just _run away_ , Katniss,” Peeta argues although his voice is small, almost a murmur.

“I never said that we should!” Katniss retorts and she’s trying her hardest not to yell at him. “All I’m saying is that we can’t sit idle and wait for him to try kill us. Or worse, find the firm and try harm anyone there.”

“Well we can’t do anything without knowing for sure. That would blow our cover _and_ put everyone involved with this mission at risk. Including Effie who happens to _live_ here.”

“What do you suggest we do then? Since you don’t want to listen to me,” Katniss asks and she sounds only slightly spiteful which she prides herself in. Before Peeta can answer there’s a sharp knock at the door and Katniss freezes. She watches the blood drain from Peeta’s face and he stands still too. The second knock makes Katniss jolt, and she moves to the door, yanking it open.

A young boy stands there, dark brown hair flat against his pale forehead. He smiles at her and that’s when Katniss _notices_ and she feels sick, but she smiles back. She’s heard of them before; Avoxes. People who had, in the President’s eyes, betrayed Panem. Their punishment was to serve the Capitol for the rest of their lives which wouldn’t have been all that terrible if he had not had their _tongues_ cut off first. The boy hands her a white envelope and he can’t be more than seventeen. She silently wonders what he had done to deserve this and her stomach lurches. She takes the envelope from him, turning it over and glancing behind her to see Peeta sitting on the bed, pretending to read a book.

 _‘From Everan’_ is written neatly on the front and Katniss would think it was done by a machine if it weren’t for the faint smell of fountain ink. She looks at the Avox boys, and nods her head in a silent thank you, smiling at him as big as she can. The boy smiles back and he just looks _so young_ and Katniss suddenly feels a rush of hate towards Snow, engulfing her from head to toe. The boy moves away from their door and Katniss gently closes the door. Peeta drops the book in his hand and climbs off the bed, moving towards Katniss.

“It’s from Everan,” Katniss remarks as she hands him the envelope. She doesn’t want to read it because she’s _scared_ that it’s going to be some cruel taunt from Snow and his henchmen and that is something she can’t deal with right now.

Peeta open the seal, careful not to rip the letter inside before taking it out. His eyes mover across the page quickly and he grips the letter tighter before looking at her.

“He wants us to meet up with dinner tonight. At some fancy Capitol restaurant at the city centre,” Peeta informs her.

“You think he works for Snow?” Katniss asks and she thinks of how uncomfortable Everan was during dinner last night. Peeta shrugs.

“Possibly. Or he just thoroughly enjoys our company,” he says and there’s a small smile on his face. Katniss snorts and she feels light, suddenly. Peeta does that to her a lot.

There’s a pregnant pause and Katniss goes over the events of the day in her mind, a habit she picked up when she was younger to ground herself when she felt overwhelmed. She remembers the Avox boy and the flare of anger sparks up in her again.

“We’ll go,” she says determinedly. “We’ll see why he wants to see us. And we’ll take down Snow. Even if it’s the last thing we do.” The last part of her sentence comes out quiet but her voice is firm. Peeta nods, looking solemn but his eyebrows are drawn in and he looks just as determined as she sounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me longer than expected and is nowhere as long as the first chapter although i'm pretty sure i went slightly overboard with that. anyways, the plot has thickened (or hopefully you think so). there's a bit of development between katniss and peeta. i don't really know how i feel about this chapter, there are parts i like and parts that i don't but i really wanted to get this up. as usual, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated so please do leave them if you want to. they make my day. 
> 
> until next time,  
> -V


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this fic was supposed to be three chapters but i didn't want to pack too much into the last one so it'll be four chapters now. this is mostly a filler, with a couple of explanations but I hope you like it. there's some development in here as well.  
> TRIGGER WARNING for panic attacks and mentions of abuse so if you're uncomfortable with that sort of thing, please be careful.

The hours spent before they’re due for dinner are filled with tense conversations and prolonged bouts of silence. Peeta for the most part, sits at the desk and hurriedly writes things into an old, leather-bound journal. Katniss paces. She hates feeling like she’s caged in and as of late, that is all she has been. She’s anticipating what she and Peeta are to do if Everan _is_ indeed onto them. She thinks of their conversation with President Snow –“ _Oh, there are risks in every job Ms. Everdeen. Aren’t you scared of the ones in yours?”_ – and her hands ball up into fists. She had thought of an escape route on their flight to the Capitol; a pipe two balconies away from their own led into the main sewage system for the Capitol and was directly connected to Districts One and Two. But there were rumours, quiet murmurs and a handful of eye witness reports, that Snow had created mutants of some sort to guard any entrances to the Capitol that ran underground. Haymitch had once told her about them; he called them _mutts_ and he said the word with so much distaste that Katniss _knew_ they had to be the most terrible of creatures.

 “Katniss,” Peeta interrupts her thoughts. He looks terrible, to put it simply. His hair is the most dishevelled she’s ever seen and his skin is pale which only makes the dark circles under his eyes even more prominent. He didn’t look this tired this morning, Katniss thinks. “I was thinking, if Everan is on Snow’s side, we can’t leave the mission halfway.”

“What do you mean?” she asks but she has a feeling she knows where this is going.

“We have to get him on our side,” Peeta says, expression serious.

“We have a better chance of walking into his office and shooting him in the _head_ than we do trying to convince one of his henchmen to join us, Peeta,” Katniss replies.

“You don’t know that for sure,” Peeta says calmly but his jaw ticks. He’s angry, Katniss observes and apparently she says it out loud too.

“Not at you,” he quickly reassures her. “I’m just worried. I don’t want him to win this. I’m tired of him always winning.”

And Katniss understands the desperation that Peeta feels. She remembers learning about Snow in school, what a _wonderful gift_ he was to all of Panem. She remembers thinking it was true until her father died in a mining accident when she was eleven because the Capitol didn’t thinking District Twelve was _worthy_ enough to have proper machinery to use, until she visited the Capitol when she was sixteen and saw people _vomiting out food_ so they could eat more when people were barely getting by in the rest of the country, until she saw a man get shot in the head during a mission because he didn’t _agree_ with President Snow. There’s a fire in her bloodstream, an inferno that probably runs through Peeta’s as well, and it hits her like a brick, how badly she wants to _destroy_ Snow.

“He won’t,” is all she says back and maybe it’s the tone of her voice or the set of her shoulders but Peeta smiles at her, a real smile that she hasn’t seen since they arrived at the Capitol. He nudges his glasses up his nose and nods in agreement and maybe it’s the quirk of his lips or the rigidness of his posture, but she feels something warm spark up inside of her. It’s a pleasant feeling, makes her fingers tingle and her heart pick up its pace. She smiles back.

***

They’re ready for dinner by 5.15 pm and Katniss is thankful that she doesn’t have to wear a skin tight dress or heels that make her feet feel like they’ve been bitten by fire ants. Peeta looks nice, but then again, he always does so Katniss isn’t really all that surprised. She has a pocket knife tucked into her belt and Peeta has a gun tucked into his. _This is what real romance looks like_ , Peeta had said sarcastically when she handed him his weapon but there was a faint tint of pink to his cheeks.

They had called for a taxi to be there at 5.20 pm and true to Capitol fashion, the avox boy from earlier is at their door at exactly that time, holding a small note that informs them that their car is waiting for them downstairs. Katniss thanks the boy, smiling at him as brightly as she can muster without looking like she’s demented. Peeta however, pulls him aside and speaks to him quietly. Katniss tries to strain her ears to catch a couple of words but she gets nothing. She does however, see the boy smile brightly and Peeta claps his back affectionately before coming back to Katniss. They walk to the car silently but before they get in Peeta says, “You know, you’re not very good at hiding your curiosity.” He’s smiling as he says it and Katniss’ mouth twitches upwards.

“Well are you going to tell me what that was about, then?” she questions.

“It was nothing at all,” he replies and he sounds smug. Katniss furrows her eyebrows but doesn’t question it.

***

The restaurant Everan has invited them too is probably the most pretentious place Katniss has ever been to, _including_ Snow’s house. The waiters have Capitol accents except their accents are ten times more exaggerated than Effie’s and they wear silk waistcoats over a salmon pink velvet undershirt. The lighting is frankly weird and looks like something out of a low budget horror film and the tables are positioned so that anyone walking between two tables would have to suck in their chests and go on their tip toes to get past them.

“We have a table booked under the name Everan,” Peeta tells the man at the front desk. He’s wearing a bright yellow suit jacket with sparkly blue plants that stick to his body like a second skin and Katniss wonders how he’s even breathing let alone walking.

“Ah of course! He’s already waiting for you. You must be the reporters writing a piece on our dear President,” the man says and he smiles at them and his teeth match his pants, glimmering blue crystal attached to the white surface. The look on Peeta’s face is priceless and Katniss nudges him slightly.

“That would be us,” she responds, giving the man what she hopes is a gracious smile.

“Well it’s a pleasure. And might I say you both are absolutely adorable!” he replies as he leads them to their table. Peeta thanks him before they take their seats and the man excuses himself right after.

“I see you made it here alright?” are the first words out of Everan’s mouth. He has a glass of wine in one hand, and he’s smirking at them.

“We did,” Katniss agrees and there’s a slight edge to her voice.

“I know what you two are here to do,” are the next words out of his mouth and from the corner of her eye Katniss sees Peeta reaching for the gun tucked in his belt. Katniss already has a firm grip on her knife. “I’m here to help.”

Peeta visibly stills next to her and Katniss is fairly confused for a moment. She looks at Everan carefully; his shoulders are rigid and his hands are clasped in front of him, the skin of around his knuckled look bruised. His jaw is clenched too, and he looks almost nervous. Before she can question him, Peeta beats her to it.

“How can we trust you?” he questions and his eyes are slightly narrowed although he maintains an amicable smile.

Katniss watches a waiter watching them carefully, and she lets out a loud laugh. The two men look confused before Everan seems to catch on and lets out a chuckle. Peeta smiles brightly and his eyes glimmer which is remarkable given the God awful lighting in the room.

“I’m from District Thirteen,” Everan says, still smiling. “I work for a firm there. So does Rexa but she’s more behind the scenes.”

“And we’re supposed to trust your word?” Katniss asks sceptically but she still maintains a relaxed posture.

“I was thinking, for your article, I could help you out. I found some old newspaper clippings of President Snow when he was running for President and I thought they’d be of great use to you,” Everan says and he hands Peeta a yellow folder.

Peeta thanks him graciously although his grip on the folder makes his knuckles go white. Katniss taps his knee twice, hoping he’ll relax. Peeta opens the file, shifting slightly so Katniss can see it too and the first thing she sees is a picture of Rexa, Everan and Haymitch, standing side by side. Haymitch is _almost_ smiling and Katniss is pretty certain the only time he ever does that is when he’s around Effie or on his sixth shot of tequila.

“I’ve known him for years,” Everan murmurs quietly. “He told me about your mission, so I decided to stay in the Capitol to help you out. Rexa too.”

“Why didn’t he tell us about you?” Katniss questions because Haymitch is a secretive man but he wouldn’t hide something like this from them. Not when they’re trying to take down _the President_.

“He didn’t know I would be there until you arrived. Hell, _I_ didn’t know I would be here. But when I saw you two on the day you arrived I knew exactly who you were so I had to stay. Gotta help out my fellow agents,” Everan answers easily and there’s a loose grin on his face. He looks almost proud.

“A picture with Haymitch proves nothing,” Peeta says to him. He still looks tense.

“If I worked for Snow, do you really think you two would even be _breathing_ right now?”

“Fair enough,” Peeta says. “I’m going to call Haymitch now and if he doesn’t tell me exactly what you’ve just told us, you’ll have a bullet in you.”

Katniss _knows_ Peeta is bluffing but she remains quiet.

“Go ahead,” Everan replies almost smugly. Peeta excuses himself, announcing slightly louder than necessary that he needs to use the bathroom, but before he walks away he reaches down and kisses Katniss on the cheek. She doesn’t expect it so she almost jerks away but before she can, Peeta is gone.

“I’m from Twelve too,” Everan says quietly. “Moved away when my mother died in the mining accident and never really went back.” Katniss doesn’t expect the admission so she’s momentarily stunned.

“I’m sorry about that,” Katniss replies after a slight pause and her voice sounds hollow. She doesn’t know why she says it because she’s never been much of a sharer but then the words, “my dad died in that accident too,” come out of her mouth.

“I know,” Everan states. “I studied that accident until I knew it like the back of my hand. It’s why I joined the firm in Thirteen. Because I figured out who caused it. He didn’t even care that he took so much away.”

He didn’t have to specify for Katniss to know who he is talking about. She doesn’t respond verbally because if she talks about it here, she’ll probably cry and she hasn’t done that in a long time and she plans on keeping it that way. She nods though, and then Peeta is back. He looks much calmer than he did five minutes ago although the sleeves of his shirt are slightly crumpled.

“You’re telling the truth,” Peeta states after he’s sit down. Everan just nods in affirmation before taking a sip of his drink. Katniss takes a large gulp of water, relaxing slightly in her chair. A waiter comes to their table to take their order and Katniss decides on chicken because it’s easy to pronounce but mostly because almost every other dish has _activated pecans_ in them and she has no idea what that means, nor is she keen to find out. The waiter leaves right after Everan orders a vegetarian lasagne.

“I didn’t know there was a branch of the firm in Thirteen,” Peeta adds when the waiter disappears.

“It’s pretty new, to be fair. I think it started up ten years ago. Haymitch wanted it to be kept on the down low for as long as possible to avoid issues with legal documentation. Technically, it would be a franchise of Mockingjay Corp but the legalities are complicated so we’re pretty much an underground sort of thing,” Everan answers.  Peeta nods.

“He might be onto us,” Katniss says after taking another sip of water. She sort of blurts it out because it’s been bugging her since this morning. “Snow. He said something at our meeting today; it sounded like he knew-“

Before she can finish, Peeta interrupts her. “Is this place safe to talk? It’s pretty public.”

“The man wearing the shitty pants is Rexa’s brother. The waiter that’s been watching us is undercover as well,” Everan says automatically, almost like he was waiting for someone to ask him about it. “Now you were saying?”

“It sounded like he knew that we were lying,” Katniss finishes.

“If he was onto us though, wouldn’t we be dead by now?” Peeta questions, voice low and a smile still on his face. He reaches for his glass of water.

“Peeta has a point. If he thinks anyone is in his way, he just gets rid of them,” Everan replies.

“He sounded passive-aggressive,” Katniss rebukes.

 

“You’re just nervous,” Everan says coolly and Katniss feels a coil of annoyance snap inside of her.

“I’m being careful. This is a tricky mission and I don’t want anyone ending up _dead_ ,” she says quietly and her tone is deathly. Katniss is very good at pretending to not be scared although to be fair, she rarely is. However, there’s something about this situation, about tricking a man as cunning as Snow that leaves her shaken. She knows logically that her, Peeta and now Everan are the few most capable of the job but something isn’t sitting well with her and what bothers her the most is that she doesn’t know _what_ it is. What makes the entire situation worse is that she’s not alone this time. If she makes one single mistake it could cost Peeta’s life as well and even thinking about him not being there anymore, _being gone because of her_ makes her stomach knot uncomfortably.

“We’re always careful, Katniss,” Peeta says quietly and his voice is soft, comforting even. Katniss doesn’t know what to say so she nods stiffly.

“As interesting as this heart to heart is, and believe me I am a sucker for romance, I think it’s time for me to call it a night,” Everan teases and Katniss would be irritated with him if he didn’t have such a genuine smile on his face.

“Our dinner hasn’t even arrived yet,” Katniss argues because it would look incredibly odd to leave a restaurant without having dinner especially after already ordering it.

“I cancelled it, said that you two wanted to make it for the Capitol Parade instead and wouldn’t be able to if you stayed for dinner. Plus, the food here is awful anyways so I’m doing you a favour really.”

“You didn’t even _leave_ the table. How did you cancel our order? I haven’t even _seen_ you talking to a waiter since that man took our order,” Peeta says looking at Everan incredulously. Everan merely shrugs and Peeta leaves it at that.

“The Capitol Parade is today?” Katniss questions and Everan nods.

“Yeah, they’re celebrating the Peacekeepers this year,” Everan explains and he sounds disgruntled. Katniss snorts at the name. _Peacekeepers._ It’s probably the most ironic thing she’s ever heard given the only things Peacekeepers _actually do_ is wreak havoc and abuse their power. She says this out loud and Everan chuckles.

“Well, with Snow leading them, are you really all that surprised?” Peeta asks and Everan lets out a howl of laughter, thumping the table with his hand. The corner of Katniss’ mouth twitches in amusement and Peeta looks incredibly proud of himself. A handful of people look over at their table but everyone for the most part seems either too engrossed in their conversations and meals or too drunk to actually care.

“I think we should end this on that note,” Everan says as he stands up. Katniss and Peeta do the same, Katniss slipping on her coat as Peeta shakes Everan’s hands.

“Thank you for these,” he says as he holds up the folder. “It really is going to help us with our article.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Peeta,” Everan replies and he winks at Katniss who cannot help but find it amusing. He waves at them before leaving. Katniss and Peeta leave the restaurant, cold air slapping Katniss in the face unpleasantly.

“I like him,” Peeta says. Katniss hums in agreement.

Then Peeta asks, “Do you want to go the parade?” and Katniss is momentarily surprised. Before she can answer he continues.

“I mean, we might as well. It’s too late to work on the mission now and if I have to read the case file one more time I’ll gouge my own eyes out.”

Katniss laughs and it’s odd because she feels like she hasn’t laughed in a long time. “Alright,” she agrees and Peeta grins back at her.

It’s easy enough to find the parade since everyone is so loud. There are masses upon masses of people, most of them dressed in vibrant colours and make up. There’s even a man wearing a bedazzled peacekeeper costume who Katniss silently commends him for his effort. Peeta looks at everything with an almost childish curiosity that leaves Katniss both amused and slightly endeared. It’s a pleasant change, blending into a crowd instead of feeling like President Snow’s eyes are constantly following her and Peeta. The crowd stops moving and Katniss gets on her tiptoes to see what’s going on. At the front, there are stark white cannons, all in a straight line with their muzzles pointed to the sky. Peacekeepers stand next to them, holding a thick piece of string. Katniss turns to look at Peeta who’s looking at the posters that line the sides of the street, eyes squinting in attempt to read them.

Suddenly, Katniss hears what sounds like something crashing into a building and almost gets whiplash from how quickly she looks to the front. She lets out a breath when she realises that it’s just the cannons going off, setting the sky alight with the brightest fireworks she has ever seen. Beside her however, Peeta stills. She turns to ask him if he’s alright but the look on his face makes her stomach drop. He looks blank, expression neutral although his jaw is clenched. His hands are balled up into fists, shaking at his side and he looks just about ready to pass out when Katniss gets a firm grip on his left hand and starts dragging him away from the crowd. Thankfully it’s easy enough to get by without anyone asking any questions since everyone is too enamoured by the fireworks.

When they get away from the crowd, onto a narrow side street, Peeta crumples in on himself. He’s muttering quietly, words shaky and angry, He grips his hair tightly; too tightly that it looks like he’ll pull all of it out by the roots. He’s still shaking, rocking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and Katniss is terrified because she has no idea what’s happening.

“Peeta,” she tries, gently shaking his shoulder. He flinches away, curling in on himself even more.

“Peeta!” she says more loudly, more desperately. She grabs both his hands with her own, taking them away from his curly hair. Gripping his face with her hands, she forces him to look at her. His eyes glisten and there are tear tracks running down his face and he’s biting his lip so hard she’s fairly sure he’s going to cut it open.

“Peeta you’re fine. You’re okay. You’re safe,” she says carefully, still gripping his face. She rests her forehead against his, taking in a deep breath before she starts murmuring what she hopes are words of comfort. She does this until she feels him stop shaking and when she opens her eyes, he’s looking at her sadly. She moves away, letting go of his face, but she still stays close to him. They’re both kneeling on cold ground.

“I’m sorry about that,” Peeta says and his voice is hoarse. He sounds exhausted.

“There’s nothing to apologise for,” Katniss replies and she sounds calm although her heart is beating at a mile a minute.

“I just,” Peeta tries and then keeps quiet.

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Katniss reassures him.

“I do,” he argues. “Loud sounds, they uh, trigger me. I was on a mission a couple of years ago, near district thirteen. I had to catch a gang; they worked for Snow. I went in undercover, but they found out and they didn’t respond to it that well. I was with them for a month before Haymitch managed to send in a rescue team.”

Katniss _knows_ this story. She doesn’t know the details but she’s heard of it before. Finnick was on the rescue team that got Peeta. When they found him, he had been unconscious and highly underweight. Finnick refused to tell her the rest of it, refused to ever talk about the rescue mission, but she had seen him when he had gotten back. He looked _horrified_. Peeta didn’t come to work for the next eight months and when he did, no one brought it up. Finnick was more protective of him after that and Peeta was quieter. She doesn’t get to respond because Peeta is standing up abruptly, dusting his knees and quickly tugging on her hand, so she follows.

“I can’t find your necklace, sweetheart, I’m sorry,” he says and she can tell that he’s trying to sound normal, as if he didn’t have a breakdown a couple of minutes ago. She glances behind and finds a peacekeeper watching them oddly before they raise their flashlight at them. The peacekeeper gives them a once over before turning around and marching away.  Katniss lets out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go back,” Katniss murmurs quietly and Peeta nods. He doesn’t let go of her hand and she doesn’t say anything else but the silence is comfortable.

***

Peeta goes to shower as soon as they get back, mumbling something before quite literally dashing to the bathroom. Katniss spends the next few minutes re-folding her clothes, and rearranging them in her part of the cupboard. As soon as Peeta comes out of the bathroom, she heads straight in. The heat of the water makes her fingers tingle and she’s grateful when the numb feeling in her toes disappear. Her shower is short and she races to change into her pyjamas before stumbling back into the bedroom.

Peeta is wearing his glasses again, looking blankly at the yellow folder Everan had given them. His face is flushed and the dark circles under his eyes make him look like he hasn’t slept in weeks.

“They were angry when they found out that I wasn’t on their side,” he starts, voice low. Katniss moves towards the bed, sitting next to him against the headboard.

“I tried reasoning with them, you know? Told them if they helped me, they wouldn’t be in trouble. But they were so _angry,_ Katniss. They locked me up for a couple days, wanted to see if they could find out who I was working for but I didn’t budge and that pissed them off even more. They tortured me for three weeks. It reached a point where I didn’t even know what was real and what wasn’t.”

Peeta looked calm, but his voice shook. Katniss’ whole frame shook. He didn’t stop talking and she didn’t say anything in response. She didn’t know _what_ to say.

“Finnick and the others showed up a while later. Got me out before they had no choice but to bomb the entire building. Snow never figured out what happened, I don’t think he cared. Those men and women who were doing all of this _for him_ , and he didn’t even care that all of them had been blown up.”

“I don’t feel sorry for them, don’t get me wrong. I hated them, still do. But they were so dedicated to Snow, and he just didn’t care. He never cares,” Peeta says and he looks angry now. “How cruel can one person be?”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Katniss says and the words seem redundant but that’s all she can think of. Peeta smiles at her weakly and this time it’s her who takes his hand. She turns off the light just as he takes off his glasses. They sleep side by side and Katniss’ heart feels like an anchor, pulling her further and further down. She grips his hand tighter before closing her eyes, and hoping she’ll be able to fall asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am not too keen on how this chapter ends because i desperately wanted to use a cliffhanger but it just didn't work so meh.  
> i genuinely don't know when the fourth chapter will be up but hopefully soon! as usual, kudos and comments are always welcome.
> 
> p.s. this is sorta unedited so apologies for the errors.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is, the last chapter!

Katniss feels more or less like a zombie the next morning. Peeta barely speaks a word to her although he does smile at her twice. Her eyes burn from tiredness, but she showers and waits for Peeta to shower too. They opt out of going to the dining hall for breakfast; Peeta offering her toast and very rich bread spread which Katniss politely declines. She’s too nervous to eat, and Peeta seems to feel the same way. He nibbles the corner of a golden brown piece slice and then sets it on a plate. The events of the night before aren’t mentioned by either of them and Katniss doesn’t know what to say without either making things incredibly uncomfortable between them, or crying. She instead, goes over the file. What was once bright yellow manila paper is now crumpled and stained. She could probably recite the contents of the file by memory at this point, but her other options include watching god awful Capitol television or staring at a wall. She looks up from Haymitch’s messy scrawls to see Peeta sleeping on the bed. He looks disturbed, even in his sleep. His face looks gaunt and there are dark circles under his eyes.

She lets him sleep until mid-afternoon and when she tries to wake him up, he jolts and grabs her arm, his grip bordering painful. His eyes are wild, only for a second, before he realises who’s in front of him and immediately lets go. Peeta clears his throat, looking guilty and sheepish all at once.

“Sorry. I wasn’t having a very good dream and it took me a while to realise what was happening,” he says, his voice still gruff from sleep.

“It’s fine,” Katniss reassures. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”

“You didn’t,” Peeta replies with a wry smile twisting his lips. Katniss feels frustrated for making him feel guilty again, especially for something this far out of his control.

“Prim always tells me that I have an awful habit of being _too_ quiet,” she says, hoping to ease the tension that’s tangled between them.  Peeta smiles, a genuine smile and that untangles the knots of worry that had settled in Katniss’ chest.

“Is it time for lunch?” Peeta questions and Katniss shrugs.

“We missed lunch,” Katniss says.

“And breakfast,” Peeta adds.

“It’s fine. We’ll tell them we were preparing for Heavensbee’s dinner tonight,” Katniss affirms.

“Preparing for what, exactly?”

“I don’t know, Peeta. Re-editing the article about Snow, adding in new bits, taking down notes for tonight. Doing couple things. Whatever it is engaged journalists do before a big event,” Katniss replies.

“Couple things?” Peeta questions, eyebrow arched.

Katniss realises the implication of her words, and stiffens. “You know what I mean,” she huffs and Peeta laughs.

“Of course,” Peeta says, mock-seriously. It’s nice, having a conversation with him that doesn’t involve discussions about taking down the corrupt leader of their country or how they might be killed on the job.

“What time is the dinner?” she asks, because as wonderful as it is to ignore what they’re here to do, they can’t do that for long.

“Invitation card said 6.30 pm but I suggest getting their early, to have a look around.”

“We should get ready then. I call first shower,” Katniss says and with that, she goes to the bathroom.

*****

An hour later Katniss finds herself in a dress less uncomfortable than the one she wore on her first night at the Capitol. Peeta’s tie matches her dress, both of them choosing to go with black. He looks less tired than he did in the morning and he seems happier. Or slightly on edge. Katniss can’t really tell at this point, since her heart hammers in her chest.

“Should we go over the plan once more?” Peeta asks and Katniss nods.

“We get there, mingle and be nice. Act like we’re taking notes for the piece on Snow, and keep an eye on whatever it is Plutarch eats,” Peeta says.

“If he starts acting weird, I shoot the tranquilizers at Snow’s most immediate security and you get Snow. I give Heavensbee the sedative Beetee made, that should induce a coma so that any poison he’s been given won’t be able to affect his central and peripheral nervous system immediately,” Katniss finishes. The both of them speak in soft murmurs, being as careful as possible.

“And then we take Snow and Heavensbee and we make a break for it,” Peeta replies with a wry smile.

“If by _break for it,_ you mean we make our way through a passageway that connects the dining room to an exit five miles away and then get to the airport where someone will be waiting to pick us up, then sure,” Katniss says and Peeta’s smile twists into something more tense. There’s a knock at the door which interrupts their tense silence and Katniss would be grateful for it except she knows that it’s probably an avox coming to escort them to dinner.

Katniss opens the door and a woman with blonde hair, tied back in a tight knot stands before her, wearing a standard avox uniform. She doesn’t smile at Katniss, merely nods her head and gestures for her and Peeta to follow her. Katniss can hear Peeta moving towards the door and she feels his hand on her waist, guiding her outside. Katniss lets him. Peeta locks the door behind her and wraps an arm around her waist again and Katniss lets herself sink into the familiar warmth of him. The avox girl watches them curiously, no hint of any sort of emotion on her face before she moves in front of them and starts walking. Peeta stops a few seconds later, looking at his wrist before turning to Katniss.

“I forgot my watch,” he says looking to her and then the avox girl. “Let me just go get it. I’ll only be a minute.”

She watches his retreating figure before looking at the blonde haired woman in front of her. She looks away from Katniss, staring at a painting on the wall and Katniss is about to look away when something catches her eye. The avox woman’s mouth is slightly open, and her tongue slips out, wetting her lips before she closes her mouth again. All the blood drains from Katniss’ face and she freezes for a second before she realises what this means.

“I’ll go see what’s taking him so long,” Katniss says with a smile and then she turns around, walking as quickly as she can without looking like she’s trying to escape towards her and Peeta’s room. She pushes the door open and closes it as soon as she gets in. Peeta looks startled but Katniss doesn’t stop to explain. She locks the door and pushes a desk in front of it. Her hands shake as she looks at Peeta.

“He’s onto us,” she says and Peeta’s face goes pale. Katniss moves to grab her bag, opening it and slipping three knives into a weapons holder she has strapped to her thigh. She straps a gun to her other thigh. Peeta does the same thing, although instead, he places the knives in a secret pocket on the inside of his suit jacket and two guns in a holder on his belt.

“Explain,” Peeta demands as Katniss frantically takes off her heels and replaces them with a pair of sneakers. Then, she pulls Peeta towards the window.

“The avox woman, she’s not an avox. She has a tongue. She looks way too old to be an avox as is. Snow sent her to kill us,” Katniss says shakily. “We need to leave Peeta. We need to go now!”

Peeta nods. “We can get out through the window, go north towards the gardens and jump over the fence two miles from the fountain.”

There’s a gentle knocking at the door, and then someone is twisting the handle. Katniss quietly opens the window, stepping out onto the ledge. She looks behind her to see Peeta lighting a match before pouring a bottle of rubbing alcohol on the case file and all their other documents and setting them on fire. _Smart_ , Katniss thinks. No one is outside their window, although they could be hiding out watching the two of them. Katniss grabs a knife and Peeta does the same, almost mirroring her. The knocking at the door stops, and suddenly there’s a loud bang. Peeta grabs her arm and suddenly, they’re falling. Katniss lands steadily but Peeta stumbles. She grabs him under his arms and helps steady him.

“My leg is sort of messed up,” Peeta explains. Katniss ducks behind a bush, dragging Peeta with her and silently points to the peacekeeper walking a couple of feet away. They don’t seem in a hurry so Katniss assumes that word of her and Peeta fleeing hasn’t spread yet. When the peacekeeper disappears from their view, the two of them get out of their hiding place, and begin walking towards the gardens. Peeta wraps and arm around Katniss shoulder, hoping to look like a casual couple taking an evening stroll. They walk quickly though, keeping an eye out for any sort of movement. It’s too dark to see beyond a couple of metres ahead, but between the two of them, Katniss thinks they’ll manage. Something catches the corner of Peeta’s eyes and suddenly Katniss is being shoved ahead.

“Katniss, _run_!” he yells and she looks at him only to see that there’s a peacekeeper holding a leash. The leash is attached to some sort of hybrid between a wolf and a lion, and the creature stares at them with a feral look, teeth bare and ready to pounce. Katniss gets up and begins running. She can hear Peeta right behind her. Her feet burn but she keeps on going, Peeta seeming to follow. The sound of the growls becomes louder and when she looks behind her, they’re being followed by _at least_ fifteen mutts. Katniss grabs for her gun, turning around and then, she starts shooting. She hits a mutt between its eyes and for a second she feels remorse before she sees another mutt bare its sharp teeth at Peeta. She shoots again. Peeta grabs his gun, opting to aim at the peacekeepers that trail behind the mutts. Katniss hadn’t noticed them until now.

They turn back around and continue sprinting. Katniss glances to her left and sees a peacekeeper aiming a gun at Peeta. She yells at him to move, which he does, but the bullet catches his shoulder. Another bullet pierces her arm, but Katniss doesn’t feel any pain. She throws a knife at the peacekeeper and watches them fall to the ground. She feels like she’s been running for eons, and just as they reach the fountain, a horn blares.

“Miss Everdeen, you didn’t really think you could pull this off, did you?”

She knows that voice. All of Panem knows that voice. Snow stands in front of her, a small smirk on his face. His teeth are blood red and he reeks of roses. Peeta watches him carefully and it’s only now that Katniss realises how pale Peeta looks. He’s lost a lot of blood. Snow’s eyes move from her to Peeta and his smirk becomes a self-satisfied grin. His suit is impeccable, black and silky, and his tie matches. Katniss doesn’t know how she and Peeta will get out of this but she knows that if it comes down to it, she’ll do everything she can to make sure he lives.

“Now, Ms. Everdeen. Mr Mellark. I don’t want this to get any more violent than it already has. I just want to talk,” Snow says and his voice drips with mockery. Katniss is fairly sure Peeta lets out a small scoff but she doesn’t move her eyes of Snow.

“How did you catch on?” Peeta questions and Katniss knows the look on his face, has seen it countless times in the last three days. It’s his thinking face. Peeta has a plan. She just has to figure out what it is. Snow chuckles and it unfurls something violent inside Katniss. If she dies here, she wants Snow to be taken down with her.

“You two were good, I’ll admit. But your team trusts too easily,” he responds. Katniss thinks of everyone that knew of the plan. Her. Peeta. Haymitch. Effie. Everan. She doubts it was Haymitch or Effie since they’ve been doing this for years which leaves Everan.

“Where is he?” Katniss says and it takes everything in her to not snarl at the white haired man in front of her.

“Oh, he’s fine. A _bit_ under the weather but I’m sure his _fiancée_ can help him with that.”

It’s the way Snow says fiancée that gives it away. Rexa had betrayed Everan. Katniss wonders if Snow bought her out or if she was always on his side. Before she can stall him any further, something catches the corner of her eye. She tilts her head and squints her eyes almost imperceptibly, and when she realises what it is she’s looking at, her and Peeta’s situation seems more helpful. There’s a trident leaning against a tree, glinting in the moonlight. Finnick is here. She knows that if Snow were to look to the left, he would immediately see it. She suddenly remembers what Haymitch once said about Snow. _The President is a smart man, but power has gotten to him._ Snow knows what he’s doing, even now. But he’s too proud and too blinded by this pride to see that Peeta is distracting him.

“And what of Heavensbee?” Peeta wonders and Snow bares his teeth even more in what Katniss assumes is a smile but looks more like he’s threatening them.

“He’s alive,” Snow says calmly. “For now.”

“How long do you think you can get away with this? You think no one will realise what you’re doing?” Katniss asks, using just the right amount of emotion in her voice. Peeta glances at her, and she knows that he knows that she’s aware of the plan. Snow looks positively gleeful to see her _distraught_ over this. Katniss wants to laugh at him.

“Katniss, you’re a smart woman. You know that I’m no fool. _Of course_ I know people will catch on. People have already caught on. But you know what makes someone a great ruler?” he asks and she doesn’t answer. She just watches. “Fear, Ms. Everdeen. The power to instil fear without making it seem like you’re instilling fear is a skill not many have. That’s what makes me a great ruler.”

“Don’t worry,” he continues, voice a low thrum. “You and Mr. Mellark will be long gone by then. You won’t have to fret about me _ruining_ this country. You’ll never have to worry about _living_ in a corrupted Panem.”

“We already do,” Peeta says ,voice almost deadly and that’s when a spear stabs a peacekeeper standing behind Snow. Snow’s eyes widen before he composes himself. Katniss shoots at a peacekeeper trying to tackle Peeta and she sees Finnick a few metres away, fighting another peacekeeper. Everything sort of blurs around her but Katniss’ instincts are strong and she keeps fighting. Someone throws her a bow and a pack of arrows and she immediately grabs it and begins aiming it at Snow.

She hears Peeta behind her but she doesn’t have time to see if he’s okay. Snow currently stands behind at least six peacekeepers who are all heavily guarded. She sees Finnick moving in from the side and he shoots her a cocky grin. She hasn’t realised how much she’s missed him until now. She throws a dagger at a peacekeeper who shoots at Finnick and watches them fall to ground. She can’t see Snow but she hopes that he’s _terrified_. He should be. Johanna moves in from the other side, gun in hand and a bright smile on her face. She shoots at the soldiers guarding Snow and she isn’t really phased when the bullets ricochet off their uniforms. Katniss is sure it just gives her more motivation.

Katniss sees a shadow move in behind her and she grabs a knife and swivels around. She stabs the peacekeeper once and then kicks them in the chest before another one tackles her to the ground. This peacekeeper’s mask is off and she sees the man snarl at her before stabbing her in the arm. Katniss grabs the arm that holds the dagger and twists it away from her body, using her other arm to punch him in the face. The man digs his knee into her chest and Katniss can feel her ribs bruising but she can’t quit now. She spits in his face which throws him off guard long enough for her to flip them over. But almost immediately, the man wraps his one hand around her neck and uses the other to hold her arms. She starts seeing black spots, and her vision goes fuzzy but then she hears a crack and oxygen rushes into her lungs.

Peeta looms over her looking worried and bruised and the man lies unconscious. She wants to thank Peeta but she doesn’t have enough time before another peacekeeper comes charging towards them. She’s on her legs in an instant, shooting an arrow at the masked person and then, they’re falling to the ground. Her and Peeta are back to back, surrounded by Snow’s men. She can hear Finnick, Johanna and someone else fighting more of them but she can’t see anything. Three peacekeepers lunge at them at once, and Katniss doesn’t even register what her body is doing until she sees two arrows being released from her bow, one after the other. Two more lunge at them and Peeta tackles one to ground and Katniss does the same to the other. She knocks the peacekeeper out with one punch to the neck and then she’s up and heading towards Snow. She sees Gale, Johanna and Finnick trying to breach the circle of guards around the President and shoots three arrows at the peacekeepers.

Johanna shouts something along the lines of _fuck you, Snow_ before jumping on a peacekeeper and tackling them to the ground whilst Finnick and Gale fight five others. Katniss keeps shooting arrows until she reaches Snow. There are two peacekeepers left and she knows that they can win this. Snow’s lost, and Katniss is sure that he knows this as well, but there’s not one hint of fear on his face. She glances behind her to see Peeta walking towards them. The peacekeepers don’t make a move towards her or Peeta and before she can figure how to get to Snow, they both fall to the ground. Snow’s mouth twitches and his hands curl up into fists.

“Tranquilizers,” Johanna says as she gestures to the darts that breach the peacekeepers uniform. Snow just stands there, watching all five of them.

“You really want to take me to prison? Try me for murder?” he asks, and he still sounds confident. “Do you even have enough proof?”

Johanna laughs. “You think we risked out lives without being sure that you’d be punished if we got you? I don’t know why people call you smart, _President_ Snow.”

The way she says President makes Snow smirk.

“Are you mocking me, Ms. Mason?” he questions.

“Oh, she wouldn’t dream of it,” Finnick responds. Gale gets a pair of handcuffs, grabbing Snow’s wrists and making him turn around.

“You’re under arrest. Your house has been taken over by our firm; your family are under investigation and you’re being charged on two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. There’s probably more but I’ll save you the hassle of having to listen to what a horrible person you are. You’ll hear enough about that during your trial,” Gale says. He smiles at Katniss and she smiles back. She hasn’t seen him in so long.

“You’re foolish if you’ll think you’ll win this,” Snow says calmly.

“Anything you do or say can be held against you in a court of law,” Gale replies, leading him away.

“Well that was a rather dull end to the fight, don’t you think Mellark?” Johanna says and Peeta grins at her.

“Where did the mutts go?” Katniss suddenly asks. She didn’t even notice the hybrid wolves disappearing.

“We de-programmed them from the command centre back at Snow’s house,” Finnick easily replies. “He has people controlling them in there. It’s awful.”

“And how did you realise we needed help?” Peeta questions, wiping away blood from a cut on his jaw.

“Everan managed to get us a message before he was taken away,” Johanna says.

“How is he? And Heavensbee?” Katniss asks.

“Everan didn’t make it, unfortunately. Heavensbee is alright,” Finnick says and Katniss feels something heavy settle in her stomach. She looks to Peeta and his face is impassive although his hands are clenched at his side, trembling.

“Everan was a good man,” Peeta says. “His fiancée betrayed him.”

“We have her in custody too,” Johanna says and she gives Katniss a sympathetic smile. Katniss’ lips twitch in an attempt to return it. “A flight’s coming to get us in a couple of minutes. You guys will be treated there.”

*****

She and Peeta are given two weeks off when they get back to the Capitol. She stays at home for all fourteen days, choosing to sleep rather than go out. There’s a media frenzy about the two secret agents who saved Panem from a murderous president. _You two even have a couple name, it’s Everlark,_ Finnick tells her gleefully over the phone. She hasn’t spoken to Peeta since they got back, doesn’t really know what to say to him. The night before she has to head back to work, there’s knock at the door. She’s surprised that she doesn’t gasp when she opens it and sees Peeta.

He looks much better than he did two weeks ago. His face has regained its colour and the wounds on his arm and jaw seem to have healed well. He gives Katniss a small smile, holding up a paper bag.

“I made cheese buns,” are the first words out of his mouth and he looks sort of embarrassed. She lets him in.

“I didn’t know you could bake,” Katniss responds, trying to hide her initial shock at seeing him. They sit down across each other, at her dining table. The smell of the cheese buns makes her mouth water.

“I’m sort of an expert at it, actually,” Peeta says matter-of-factly, although his tone is joking. Katniss takes a large bite of the bread, and has to stop herself from sighing at how good it tastes. The cheese melts in her mouth and this bread is probably the softest bread she’s ever had.

“This is really good, Peeta,” Katniss says after taking another bite. Peeta grins bashfully, shrugging his shoulders. They sit in silence for a couple of minutes, both unsure of what to say. Katniss doesn’t want things to be awkward, not after everything that they’ve been through so she bites into her cheese bun, chews and then opens her mouth to break the quietness.

“How have you been?” she asks and maybe it’s the tone of her voice, or her facial expression, but Peeta sits up straight, and he knows that she’s not just asking about what he’s been doing during the last two weeks.

“Relieved that we lived,” Peeta says honestly, giving her a small smile. Katniss smiles back. “I haven’t had a panic attack since that night, which is good. Big missions sometimes trigger flashbacks. Even after, I’ve completed them.”

Katniss watches him as he speaks. His hair isn’t styled like it was throughout their trip in the Capitol. It’s messy, strands curling against his forehead. He’s wearing his glasses again, thick-rimmed and black. It’s nice, watching him.

“I’m sorry,” Katniss says and the words seem redundant. “You can always talk to me, Peeta. We’re friends.”

Peeta laughs. “After taking down the president and pretending to be engaged, I’d like to think so.”

Katniss nudges his foot with hers, and her chest feels lighter than it has in days. Finnick always told her that Peeta was a remarkable person to be around. He was charming and funny without being obnoxious about it, and Katniss thinks she knows what he means. She doesn’t realise until now, how much she’s missed him. It hits her like a freight train, how much she’s missed his subtle jokes and easy smile.

“I’ve missed you,” she says suddenly, looking at him. “It was weird, not having you around.”

It’s probably the most honest she’s ever been with someone in years, excluding Prim and perhaps Finnick, and she’s terrified once she says it. But the smile on Peeta’s face dissolves all her worries. This time it’s him that nudges her foot with his.

“I’ve missed you too,” he replies, looking amused.

“Didn’t know being _fake engaged_ to someone for three days could create this sort of bond,” Katniss jokes. Peeta’s jaw _sort of_ drops.

“Did you just crack a joke, Katniss?” he asks, sounding incredulous.

“I’m offended that you’re this surprised,” Katniss responds. Peeta snorts.

“I’ve just never heard you crack a joke,” he defends and Katniss grins.

“Didn’t have all that much time at the Capitol since we were on a secret mission and all,” she says.

“And she’s on a role!” Peeta exclaims and Katniss laughs. He joins her. They quieten down for a few minutes. Peeta breaks the silence this time.

“I should leave,” he says. “It’s late and we have work tomorrow.”

Katniss doesn’t want him to leave but she’s also definitely not going to ask him to stay since that would be fairly awkward so she nods. They both get up from their seats.

“I guess I’ll see you at work,” she says when they get to the door. Peeta nods.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replies and just as he’s about to turn away, Katniss grabs his arm. She can’t remember what she does, but a few seconds later, she’s hugging Peeta, arms wrapped around his neck whilst his arms wrap around her waist. She stands there for a while, before she squeezes him once more, and then lets go.

“Sorry,” she says sheepishly and she’s pretty sure her face is on fire.

“Katniss,” he says quietly and then they’re kissing again. It’s a lot better than the first time, and Katniss lets out a sound of surprise before relaxing against him. He tugs her closer and Katniss slips a hand into his hair. They part and he leans his forehead against hers. He gives her a sheepish grin, and Katniss returns it.

“Didn’t know being fake engaged to someone for three days could create _this_ sort of bond,” Peeta says, repeating her words from a couple of minutes ago and Katniss hits his shoulder. He begins laughing, shoulders shaking and all.

“Go home, Peeta,” Katniss says, a small smile on her face. Peeta kisses her forehead, and then walks towards the elevator, shoulders still shaking from laughter.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Katniss,” he says just as the elevator doors begin to slide closed. He grins at her, glasses askew on his nose. Katniss smiles back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well firstly, i am so sorry that this took so long. school has been a lot and i recently got some time off to finish this up. secondly, i'm not really sure how i feel about this chapter? it's the first time i've ever written a multi-chapter piece so i don't know if the ending is satisfying or not (although i really hope it is). i tried making katniss and peeta sorta jokey and banter-y near the end since i really enjoyed watching/reading them joke with each other in catching fire. also,it's my first time writing action sequences so i hope it wasn't too rushed/sucky. lastly, if you've read all of this, thank you so much! it means the world to me.
> 
> p.s.-kudos and comments are always appreciated so please do leave them (especially comments, i love them so much). once again, thank you for taking the time to read this! 
> 
> p.p.s- this isn't really edited so i apologise for the mistakes whoops


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